


come as you are

by Anonymous



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Based On A Nirvana Song, Grunge Era, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29107299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: “Yeah, no, it’s complete bullshit. I just don’t get it. Why do people expect celebrities to be all nice and preppy? Just so they can pick on us without worrying about us firing back? What do they think, that we’re artificial? We’re human too, we’re real people with real feelings.”
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Kudos: 13
Collections: Anonymous





	come as you are

**Author's Note:**

> based on come as you are by nirvana, if you couldn't tell.
> 
> i wrote this because 1. i like the song and 2. i relate to it - the song is about how people are expected to act and how they actually act like, and well. i'm no celebrity, i'm not big or popular but i'm definitely known to at least some sort of audience, and i feel like people think that since i write for the world for free, i'm gonna be nice and respectful 24/7. like... no. yes i'll be nice and respectful, but the moment someone says or does something offensive (towards me or others, those close to me), i'm not keeping that up. i'm very criticizing (and judgmental but i'm trying to get out of that habit) and people don't really like me for it. and well if you don't like me because of that, i don't really give a shit. i say what i want to, it's my life. i'm not going to be fake and sugarcoat everything, no, i'm gonna be real and brutal.
> 
> kfjdddkfn why did i write so much ?? anyways yeah point is this fic is kinda important to me haha, if you read all of that then thank you <3
> 
> big thanks to kate for beta reading this !!

The curtains are open. A can of cheap beer sits on a wooden table in front of a dirty, worn out couch, cyan faded from how old it is.

A chair sits in the corner of the room, right next to the window where the curtains hang loosely, cherry designs in all their glory. A man in his twenties sits in the chair, mindlessly looking out the window as he strums his guitar to a melody that doesn’t really make sense.

His name is Jaemin, and he’s one of the biggest guitarists of his time. He comes in second place, just shy of that first place glory, where everyone could love him and treat him like a deity.

He doesn’t want that though, for fear of becoming too greedy. Besides, he’s already got a large following, he’s practically suffocating.

Jaemin sighs as he pulls at each string, not too harsh nor too softly. The sound of knocks on the door makes him bite his lip and groan – He knows exactly who it is.

With a huff, he gets up and places his guitar to the side, hands shoved in his pockets as his combat boots echo in the wide space. He reaches the door, cranes his neck and puts his best irritating face on as soon as he opens the door.

“Jeno,” Jaemin says expectantly. “How  _ nice _ of you to show up when I’m busy.”

“Oh, shut up, will you?” Jeno rolls his eyes as he pushes Jaemin in and walks over to the couch, picking up the beer can on the wooden table on the way. “It’s not like you were doing anything other than messing around with that guitar of yours,”

Jaemin squints at him. “How would you know?”

Jeno gives him a disapproving look as he plops down on the couch and takes a sip of the beer. “I heard you as soon as I came up to the door, weirdo.”

“Weirdo?” Jaemin scoffs and crosses his arms. “I’m the weirdo? You’re the one always interrupting my day just to talk to me. What are you, gay?”

“No,” Jeno says, lips curling up in the way they do when he lies, the way Jaemin just knows he’s telling a fib. “But I wish I was, just to piss people off.”

Flustered, Jaemin rolls his eyes and walks over to sit next to Jeno on the couch. He watches as the older takes another long sip of beer, wincing as he does so. “I don’t know how you do it.”

Jeno exhales roughly. “Do what?”

“Take long sips of beer,” Jaemin hisses. “You do realize my mouth was on that, right?”

Jeno shrugs. “I don’t mind. This is good shit, it’s refreshing.”

Jaemin hums. “You didn’t bring any stalkers on the way, did you?”

“Hah,” Jeno scoffs. “No. I made sure there weren’t any creepy fans.”

Jaemin may be in second place in terms of popularity within the rock industry, but Jeno is the ultimate first place, the extreme celebrity, to the point where he has stalkers following him at any chance they get. It’s weird, it’s creepy, but Jeno says it’s all worth the fame, once he’s onstage with his guitar in his hands, next to his bandmates, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he plays countless solos and melodies – He realizes that maybe it’s not so bad, being famous.

Although he has stalkers and creeps following him around, at least he knows he’s earned his place. At least, that’s what he said back when they had first met, in the middle of a show, backstage, waiting for their turns.

Jaemin’s looked up to him ever since.

With a sniffle and a sigh, Jaemin takes the beer can out of Jeno’s hands and takes a sip, immediately wincing at the taste. He spits it out, landing on the floor and on the table. “What the fuck, dude? What do they put in this shit?”

“What the shit!” Jeno exclaims, gasping at the small droplets of mixed saliva and beer on his sleeve. “My god. With that attitude, I wonder how you even have fans who actually like you.”

Jaemin shrugs and grabs a small towel nearby to clean the beer up. “Truth be told, they used to hate me.”

Jeno hums. “Really now.”

“Yeah,” Jaemin says as he cleans the floor. “When our band was still small, back in our early years, people didn’t really like us. Especially me, since I’m not exactly the nicest person on the planet.”

“Wow,” The elder hums again. “All because you weren’t nice?”

“Yeah, no, it’s complete bullshit,” Jaemin shakes his head and throws the now dirty towel on the floor as he runs over to the kitchen and grabs a can of cheap soda. “I just don’t get it. Why do people expect celebrities to be all nice and preppy? Just so they can pick on us without worrying about us firing back? What do they think, that we’re artificial? We’re human too, we’re real people with real feelings.”   
  


“Totally. No, I get you, dude,” Jeno crosses his arms and looks to the floor, gaze sharp and serious. “People just want us to play our instruments and make music for them, they want us to sugarcoat shit and treat them with purity, but.. No. That’s not what we’re gonna do – In my opinion, we’re all on the same level, us and normal people. There is no line separating us, none of us are above each other. That’s the way others should see it. They should know that we’re human too, they should know that if someone does something bad then we’re gonna call them out for it.”   
  


“God. I can’t even tell you how many fans I’ve lost just because I’ve called people out for their bullshit,” Jaemin sighs and takes a quick sip of his soda before offering it to Jeno. “I once had a fan who told me she hated gay people, but for me she’d change. Like, ew, no. First of all I’m not even gay–”

“Lies.”

Jaemin narrows his eyes at Jeno before continuing. “And second of all, what the fuck kind of mindset is that? It’s 1990. We’re advancing every year, that whole being gay is bad shit is outdated and just plain stupid. People can’t just expect every man to like pussy, and vise versa.”

“Exactly,” Jeno says as he turns his gaze towards Jaemin, handing him the can of soda. “And why would she change just for one person? That’s just cruel, plain favoritism.”

  
“Right. But anyways, I told her that it was a stupid way to think, and she got mad and dumped her drink on me,” Jaemin scrunches his nose up at the memory. “I haven’t seen her at one of my shows ever since.”

Jeno sighs and walks over to the kitchen to grab a soda can for himself and opens it, motioning for Jaemin to stand up. “Fuck the world. Fuck what they think. We’ve got ourselves and we’ve got our bandmates, and each other.” He raises his can. “Fuck society.”

Jaemin grins and raises his own can, knocking it with Jeno’s. “Fuck society,” He repeats.

  
  
And when Jeno lowers his can and gives him an approving smile, everything in the world is right to Jaemin.

**Author's Note:**

> "i'm not gay, although i wish i was, just to piss off homophobes." - kurt cobain


End file.
